DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description): The objective of this postdoctoral program in Cancer Biology is to provide an integrated educational experience to prepare its fellows for successful independent research careers in the area of cancer biology. A major distinguishing feature of this proposal is its e m phasis on basic research conducted within the context of existing interdisciplinary programs, all of which are integrated under the aegis of the Massey Cancer Center. Specifically, these programs include: Developmental Therapeutics, Cancer Cell Biology, Immune Mechanisms, and Radiation Biology and Oncology. This postdoctoral training grant in Cancer Biology is designed to bring together the strengths of selected, extramurally funded faculty within different departments at Virginia Commonwealth University whose research relates to specific areas of cancer biology. This program takes advantage of the leadership of Dr. Gordon D. Ginder, the recently recruited Director of the Massey Cancer Center, as well as the contributions of a number of both junior and senior faculty members who bring a unique spectrum of strengths and experience in diverse areas of cancer biology. The involvement of these individuals within the Cancer Biology training grant should foster productive collaborations leading to new research initiatives, and should p r o v ide a fertile environment for training of young investigators. Furthermore, the Massey Cancer Center, in coordination with various basic science departments, is in the process of recruiting at least ten additional faculty members who will eventually be incorporated into the training program. The focus on a training program based within the Cancer Center rather than through a single department, provides for a greater breadth of training experience for its trainees.